Embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to head fixation devices for use with surgical head frames during surgical procedures. More particularly, the embodiments relate to head fixation devices respectively comprising a skull clamp, a skull clamp arc assembly movable relative to the skull clamp, and a plurality of skull pins to engage and fixate heads of patients during surgical procedures.
Conventional three pin, C-shaped skull clamps typically are used with surgical head fixation devices to support a head of a patient during neurosurgical and cervical spine procedures. The skull clamp works like a C-clamp, or vise, to keep the head of the patient steady as surgeries are performed. Typically, on one side of the skull clamp is a rocker arm containing two skull pins and on the opposing side is a mechanism to engage and advance a third pin into the skull of the patient. Between about sixty pounds and about eighty pounds of compressive force typically are applied to the head with the third skull pin. It is then customary to assume that, as the third skull pin is driven into the skull, each of the rocker arm skull pins will apply approximately half of the force being applied by the third pin, or between about thirty pounds and about forty pounds of compressive force, to the head of an adult patient if the skull clamp is properly positioned and applied on the patient's head.
However, problems may arise if the rocker arm skull pins are not properly positioned or applied to the head. For example, if the rocker arm is not aligned properly with the third pin, the compressive force applied by each of the two rocker arm skull pins may not be equal. This inequity in applied compressive forces could negatively effect the ability of the conventional skull clamp to fixate the head of the patient. Additionally, if the rocker arm is misaligned with the third skull pin, the rocker arm skull pins may not apply an appropriate compressive force, thereby potentially resulting in rotation of the patient's head during a surgical procedure and/or in slippage of the skull pins along the head, which may cause injurious skin and tissue tears on the head.
As such, based on the foregoing, there exists a need for a head fixation device comprising a skull clamp and at least two opposing skull pins positioned such that they apply substantially equal compressive forces to each side of the head and at least one movable arc skull pin offset from the opposing skull pins to engage and further fixate a patient's head during a surgical procedure.